The news comes less than a week after another WSJ report said Apple had already begun production of the 7.85-inch device ahead of a possible October launch.

Recent rumblings from pundits and a number of supposed parts leaks hint at an imminent debut of Apple's much-rumored small form factor iPad, which is said to use a non-Retina display to keep costs down.

Last week, pictures of the purported tablet's headphone jack flex cable hit the web showing both black and white housings, possibly signaling that there will be only two iPad mini colorways. Another alleged leak showed off the unit's display assembly, black anodized rear shell and nano-SIM card tray, suggesting that Apple will release a version with cellular data capabilities.

The rumored tablet is expected to be a major boon for Apple as smaller form factor devices have gained popularity over the past months, the most notable offerings being Amazon's Kindle Fire HD and Google's Nexus 7.

It is rumored that Apple will be sending out invitations for an "iPad mini" special event on Oct. 10, suggesting an unveiling a week later and subsequent product release at the end of the month.

Originally Posted by Andysol
I just noticed mail has clouds on it- after looking at it for years. That doesn't make sense at all.... Oh well.

Haha, get new glasses. I noticed that in 2007 and always loved the elegance of the iOS Mail icon. The clouds mean it's Mail but the wireless non-snail mail kind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andysol
Still don't see the iPad mini coming out...

Hope you're not a betting man. The rumours are less important than who talks about them. I'm 100% convinced at this juncture. And a October 17 event with a November 2 for sale date sounds awfully plausible, from an exact date standpoint.

I still find it hard to believe that Apple would be willing to add yet another kind of app to the store. iPhone, iPad, and now iPad mini apps? I'll believe it when I see it.

It will run native iPad 2 resolution apps, like Technarchy said. 1024 x 768. In fact, I personally wouldn't be surprised to not only also see an updated new iPad at this event, but a possible discontinuation of iPad 2.

If its 1024 x 768 how does that compare to the Fire HD or Nexus 7? I would assume its going to be more expensive than both of those devices? What's the compelling feature(s) that would make it worth more $$? The iOS ecosystem? Is that enough?

It doesn't add up that Apple would move 10 million of these units in less than two months, even if it is the holiday shopping season.

The market for this device is not a clear one. For puttering around the house, clearly the iPad has this device beat by quite a margin. On the go, there's the iPhone and soon the 4-inch Touch.

Children? Place the current iPad on the table next to this proposed iPad Mini. Guaranteed the average seven-year-old would gravitate to the current iPad model.

If you already have an iPhone and you already have an iPad, you're probably not a potential customer for this device.

Move along to early next year and it gets worse. Considering just how light the new iPhone has become, clearly Apple remains committed to making its products lighter. As such, we can expect a significant weight reduction for the iPad 4. That would further render this rumoured unit irrelevent.

The other impact of releasing this device is the long-term disappointment that purchasers are going to experience on account of the current iPad has set a standard that this proposed unit can't match. In a household with iPhones, Touchs and standard iPads, this device would end up all but ignored.

The other downside to all this is that if Apple replaces the iPad 2 with this unit, a good deal will have been taken off the table. The iPad 2 is easily the best bang for the buck in the tablet market. If instead, we get Apple's version of a 7-inch tablet at the $399 price point, to me that's not progress.

On the other hand, the Wall Street Jounal is a reputable publication and the noise regarding this rumoured unit has been deafening in recent days. So this misstep might well be on the agenda. Even when Jobs was in charge, mistakes were made. No reason to think current Apple management will get it right all the time.

I don't think consumers want a $399 tweener tablet from any manufacturer and the $299 price point is already covered by the new Touch. Yet here we are, days away from this curious product being unleashed or so it would seem. I just think 10 million units in two months is overly optimisitic and even if that many units got moved, in the long run it would be a bad thing. Consumers buying it to save a few bucks over getting the regular iPad would end up wishing they hadn't. The competition has been devastated by the 10-inch iPad and now Apple is going to give us a tablet more like competitors' failed products. Odd.

I'm curious how Apple markets this product where it doesn't come across as a response to the Fire or Nexus. With the iPod, iPhone, MacBook Air and original iPad you could argue Apple was coming into a market where many of the products sucked and providing a better product, better user experience. Outside of iOS what will differentiate the smaller iPad from Fire or Nexus? Yes I've no doubt the device will have Apple's great build quality and design aesthetic. But if people have been conditioned to think 7" tablets shouldn't cost more than $199 is build quality and design enough to get them to pay more? I guess there could be a market for people who own an iPod touch or iPhone but not an iPad and want a smaller form factor. But how many people who own an iPad already would buy a smaller one too? And people who don't own any iproducts, what will sway them to pay more for the device - especially if it has older technology (to keep the price point reasonable and not shrink margins much).

I'm curious how Apple markets this product where it doesn't come across as a response to the Fire or Nexus. With the iPod, iPhone, MacBook Air and original iPad you could argue Apple was coming into a market where many of the products sucked and providing a better product, better user experience. Outside of iOS what will differentiate the smaller iPad from Fire or Nexus? Yes I've no doubt the device will have Apple's great build quality and design aesthetic. But if people have been conditioned to think 7" tablets shouldn't cost more than $199 is build quality and design enough to get them to pay more? I guess there could be a market for people who own an iPod touch or iPhone but not an iPad and want a smaller form factor. But how many people who own an iPad already would buy a smaller one too? And people who don't own any iproducts, what will sway them to pay more for the device - especially if it has older technology (to keep the price point reasonable and not shrink margins much).

Obviously, Apple wouldn't mention the Fire or Nexus. The marketing would be "You all love the iPad so much that we've decided to offer you another size".

As for the rest, Apple will be able to get a significant premium. People realize that the Fire and Nexus are cheap, crappy tablets. Many will pay a premium for a quality product.

"I'm way over my head when it comes to technical issues like this"Gatorguy 5/31/13

I don't think consumers want a $399 tweener tablet from any manufacturer and the $299 price point is already covered by the new Touch.

There is no reason why the iPad mini would not be priced at $299. First, the iPod touch line starts at $199. Second, the iPad (cellular) sells for $629 when the iPhone is $649. Third, they serve different purposes. Pocketable and portable are two different things.

Obviously, Apple wouldn't mention the Fire or Nexus. The marketing would be "You all love the iPad so much that we've decided to offer you another size".
As for the rest, Apple will be able to get a significant premium. People realize that the Fire and Nexus are cheap, crappy tablets. Many will pay a premium for a quality product.

I don't think Apple is just going to do a mini-iPad to simply compete with the Nexus, Fire, et al. I expect Apple to re-invent the 7" tablet space, just as they have with the iPhone and iPad in their respective categories. It will be compelling in a way those other Android-based tablets are not, and not simply based on quality and finish alone. This article sums up my rationale ...

New dock would be cool- but that'll be an iOS thing- not a hardware deal. I just noticed mail has clouds on it- after looking at it for years. That doesn't make sense at all.... Oh well.

Sure it does. Email is cloud computing. It's mail that gets stored and circulated via the internet. In fact, it's such a longstanding staple of cloud computing that we don't easily think of that way because the term "cloud computing" has evolved after it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogifan

If its 1024 x 768 how does that compare to the Fire HD or Nexus 7? I would assume its going to be more expensive than both of those devices? What's the compelling feature(s) that would make it worth more $$? The iOS ecosystem? Is that enough?

Both the 7" and 8.9" Fire HD devices best the rumoured 1024x768 display for the 7.85" device with 1280x800 and 1920x1200, respectively.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OllieWallieWhiskers

There is no reason why the iPad mini would not be priced at $299. First, the iPod touch line starts at $199. Second, the iPad (cellular) sells for $629 when the iPhone is $649. Third, they serve different purposes. Pocketable and portable are two different things.

edit: Missed a 'not' in your first sentence. I agree.

This bot has been removed from circulation due to a malfunctioning morality chip.

Haha, get new glasses. I noticed that in 2007 and always loved the elegance of the iOS Mail icon. The clouds mean it's Mail but the wireless non-snail mail kind.
Hope you're not a betting man. The rumours are less important than who talks about them. I'm 100% convinced at this juncture. And a October 17 event with a November 2 for sale date sounds awfully plausible, from an exact date standpoint.

If its 1024 x 768 how does that compare to the Fire HD or Nexus 7? I would assume its going to be more expensive than both of those devices? What's the compelling feature(s) that would make it worth more $$? The iOS ecosystem? Is that enough?

30% more screen real estate in a similar form factor is pretty compelling… the fact it's 8" rather than 7", and is closer to 4:3 than 16:9, like the 10" iPad… it's smaller, more compact, but offers 30% more screen than the other 7" 16:9 tablets...

I wouldn't assume at this point that it will be more expensive, or prohibitively more… $50 one way or the other doesn't make a huge difference.

I've had opportunity to see people comparing iPads with other tablets side by side in places like Best Buy. In about 90% of the cases, the result was an iPad sale, even when it was $100 more expensive or greater. I think the same will be true for the smaller form factor tablets. Side by side, the iPad shape and size just works… and the build quality is unrivaled. You just feel the thing and know it's going to outlast the other ones by years...

I've had my iPad 1 for close to 2 1/2 years now, and it's as good as day one… no battery issues yet, screen is perfect. Sometimes heavy daily usage for most of that time.

Aside from immediate feature sets, small price differences and the iOS ecosystem, there are a lot of other good, compelling reasons to choose an iPad over the others, if you're comparing… quality and reliability are high among those for me.

I don't think Apple is just going to do a mini-iPad to simply compete with the Nexus, Fire, et al. I expect Apple to re-invent the 7" tablet space, just as they have with the iPhone and iPad in their respective categories. It will be compelling in a way those other Android-based tablets are not, and not simply based on quality and finish alone. This article sums up my rationale ...http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/16/jobs_on_ipad_mini/

Well according to analyst Brian White (and his checks within Apple's Asian supply chain) the design of this product is supposed to be pretty sweet - possibly better than the current iPad. Maybe they'll use the iPad mini to test a design they can use on next years iPad. A slate annodized aluminum iPad would be sweet, if they could nail the finish so it didn't scuff or scratch easily.

There is no reason why the iPad mini would not be priced at $299. First, the iPod touch line starts at $199. Second, the iPad (cellular) sells for $629 when the iPhone is $649. Third, they serve different purposes. Pocketable and portable are two different things.

What would be less expensive on the iPad Mini vs. manufacturing the iPad 2? If anything, there would be more cost, not less, involved in making this device. Development cost, for one, and generally the smaller the device, the more costly it is to engineer. I suspect that being the same resolution, the difference in cost between the rumoured Mini's screen and the one on the current iPad 2, is insignificant.

If Apple doesn't sell the iPad 2 for less than $399 in the US market, why would the iPad Mini come in at $100 cheaper. Makes no sense whatsoever.

The only way I could see this product slotting in would be if it basically replaced the iPad 2 in the line-up.

It doesn't add up that Apple would move 10 million of these units in less than two months, even if it is the holiday shopping season.

I could see 3-5 million going out the door on the first weekend.

Quote:

The market for this device is not a clear one. For puttering around the house, clearly the iPad has this device beat by quite a margin. On the go, there's the iPhone and soon the 4-inch Touch.

The market is pretty well established for 7" sized devices. There are many advantages for a device this size. It would be great for travel, especially mapping as the iPad is currently to big for that and iPhone too small. Beyond that woman would love a device this size that can be stuffed in a purse.

This doesn't even get into business where people carry Daytimer type folios around all day that are about the same size. I actually see business adoption to be stronger with this device than with the current iPad.

Quote:

Children? Place the current iPad on the table next to this proposed iPad Mini. Guaranteed the average seven-year-old would gravitate to the current iPad model.

As a parent would you really do something so stupid? In my day we made do with what our parents could afford and where willing to buy.

Quote:

If you already have an iPhone and you already have an iPad, you're probably not a potential customer for this device.

Well I'm not at the moment. However I know of many people with multiple I devices in their household, another one doesn't mean much.

Quote:

Move along to early next year and it gets worse. Considering just how light the new iPhone has become, clearly Apple remains committed to making its products lighter. As such, we can expect a significant weight reduction for the iPad 4. That would further render this rumoured unit irrelevent.

What is it about people that they can't understand that there are different markets and different needs? IPad Mini will sell simply because it offers up a smaller more portable design. In a nut shell it serves a different user base than the current iPad because of its size.

Quote:

The other impact of releasing this device is the long-term disappointment that purchasers are going to experience on account of the current iPad has set a standard that this proposed unit can't match. In a household with iPhones, Touchs and standard iPads, this device would end up all but ignored.

Baloney! People still buy Kindles and are very happy with them. People still buy Touches and are very happy with them.

Quote:

The other downside to all this is that if Apple replaces the iPad 2 with this unit, a good deal will have been taken off the table. The iPad 2 is easily the best bang for the buck in the tablet market. If instead, we get Apple's version of a 7-inch tablet at the $399 price point, to me that's not progress.

Tough for you. Frankly iPad2 is a terrible value but you see this is called a difference of opinion. Most people will see this device as a new product positioned to sell to people with a need for a smaller tablet. Besides it isn't a given that Apple will abandon the strategy set forth with iPhone where last years product becomes this years entry point. IPad 2 might get dropped early due to the dock connector but tht doesn't mean in the future Apple won't have a new / old strategy.

Quote:

On the other hand, the Wall Street Jounal is a reputable publication and the noise regarding this rumoured unit has been deafening in recent days. So this misstep might well be on the agenda. Even when Jobs was in charge, mistakes were made. No reason to think current Apple management will get it right all the time.

There is even less reason to believe anything you have posted here. Using your logic Chevy would sell one type of car and tell the rest of the world to go to hell. That isn't what a company like Apple should be doing, there goal should be to meet as many varying needs as possible with the fewest number of products possible. Right now they simply don't have the right mix of products to do that. When it comes to tablets it isn't a one size fits all world.

Quote:

I don't think consumers want a $399 tweener tablet from any manufacturer and the $299 price point is already covered by the new Touch.

Sorry to hear that! It isn't about price anyways, the existence of the Touch had no impact on my iPad buy.

Quote:

Consumers buying it to save a few bucks over getting the regular iPad would end up wishing they hadn't. The competition has been devastated by the 10-inch iPad and now Apple is going to give us a tablet more like competitors' failed products. Odd.

The competition is loosing out due to Apples infrastructure. Make no mistake iTunes, App Store and other Apple services make for very compelling arguements to buy Apple iOS devices. You are mistaken however to believe that the completion has failed, there are very successful products out there. Frankly Apple could take a big bite out of those markets with the right device.

Look at this from the more speculative standpoint, some industry projections see the PC industry drying up in 5-8 years. That is most people will have their personal computing needs handled by iOS like devices. That means cell phones, and tablets will replace laptops and PCs in that time frame. Given that this speculation is true do you really think Apple can cover the market with just one tablet device?

By the way I'm not so convinced that this transition will happen. I'm not a big fan of iCloud type solutions for every need. I expect that in the future there will be a mixed arrangement where iCloud is part of the solution. That is we will still have "PCs" in our house but they will serve a slightly different purpose. The other problem is that data services are just to expensive to allow for the type of connectivity some envision. Streaming music and video over cell systems won't happen at the rates charged these days. So future PCs take on a role something like a server combined with entertainment and other functions.

Obviously, Apple wouldn't mention the Fire or Nexus. The marketing would be "You all love the iPad so much that we've decided to offer you another size".
As for the rest, Apple will be able to get a significant premium. People realize that the Fire and Nexus are cheap, crappy tablets. Many will pay a premium for a quality product.

Well not exactly. It is a mistake to categorize the alternatives as junk. Right now for most people two years out of a tablet is pretty good usage, they don't need to be built like the proverbial brick shithouse. Apple products sell because you get the whole ball of wax with each purchase.

It doesn't add up that Apple would move 10 million of these units in less than two months, even if it is the holiday shopping season.
The market for this device is not a clear one. For puttering around the house, clearly the iPad has this device beat by quite a margin. On the go, there's the iPhone and soon the 4-inch Touch.
Children? Place the current iPad on the table next to this proposed iPad Mini. Guaranteed the average seven-year-old would gravitate to the current iPad model.
If you already have an iPhone and you already have an iPad, you're probably not a potential customer for this device.
Move along to early next year and it gets worse. Considering just how light the new iPhone has become, clearly Apple remains committed to making its products lighter. As such, we can expect a significant weight reduction for the iPad 4. That would further render this rumoured unit irrelevent.
The other impact of releasing this device is the long-term disappointment that purchasers are going to experience on account of the current iPad has set a standard that this proposed unit can't match. In a household with iPhones, Touchs and standard iPads, this device would end up all but ignored.
The other downside to all this is that if Apple replaces the iPad 2 with this unit, a good deal will have been taken off the table. The iPad 2 is easily the best bang for the buck in the tablet market. If instead, we get Apple's version of a 7-inch tablet at the $399 price point, to me that's not progress.
On the other hand, the Wall Street Jounal is a reputable publication and the noise regarding this rumoured unit has been deafening in recent days. So this misstep might well be on the agenda. Even when Jobs was in charge, mistakes were made. No reason to think current Apple management will get it right all the time.
I don't think consumers want a $399 tweener tablet from any manufacturer and the $299 price point is already covered by the new Touch. Yet here we are, days away from this curious product being unleashed or so it would seem. I just think 10 million units in two months is overly optimisitic and even if that many units got moved, in the long run it would be a bad thing. Consumers buying it to save a few bucks over getting the regular iPad would end up wishing they hadn't. The competition has been devastated by the 10-inch iPad and now Apple is going to give us a tablet more like competitors' failed products. Odd.

Agreed.
A reaction to the market and severly lacks innovation.
And what about the whittling down your fingers comment from Steve regarding this size?

The focus on design is asinine! It is another tablet that will most likely get stuffed into a case of some sort anyways. The important thing is to keep moving forward with performance and a physically light design.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogifan

Well according to analyst Brian White (and his checks within Apple's Asian supply chain) the design of this product is supposed to be pretty sweet - possibly better than the current iPad. Maybe they'll use the iPad mini to test a design they can use on next years iPad. A slate annodized aluminum iPad would be sweet, if they could nail the finish so it didn't scuff or scratch easily.

What would be less expensive on the iPad Mini vs. manufacturing the iPad 2? If anything, there would be more cost, not less, involved in making this device. Development cost, for one, and generally the smaller the device, the more costly it is to engineer. I suspect that being the same resolution, the difference in cost between the rumoured Mini's screen and the one on the current iPad 2, is insignificant.

Volume. Think about this, they design the Mini and the Touch to use the same basic logic board. The only thing to very would be RAM and processor speed. Cabling would be different but they plug in anyways. After three years of iPad and Touch production I suspect there are many lessons learned and many ways found to cut costs.

While I share your belief that the Mini will be more expensive than many think here, I also believe it will not be excessively expensive. For example, the newer screens even if they are more expensive to purchase, actually lower costs.

Quote:

If Apple doesn't sell the iPad 2 for less than $399 in the US market, why would the iPad Mini come in at $100 cheaper. Makes no sense whatsoever.

How about $50 dollars cheaper? I'm fairly certain the Mini will be cheaper than iPad 2 as there are real market conditions to deal with.

Quote:

The only way I could see this product slotting in would be if it basically replaced the iPad 2 in the line-up.

That is an interesting idea. Frankly I don't know what to think about that. The old / new strategy is working real well for Apple. I don't see them moving away from it long term.

It is certainly a response to customer demand. As for innovation that came with the original iPhone and iPads, everything from this point on is evolution. To think otherwise is to not recognize just what Apple has accomplished here.

Quote:

And what about the whittling down your fingers comment from Steve regarding this size?

What is it about people on this forum that don't recognize marketing and salesmanship when they see it? Really is your mind that weak that it takes everything in without question? Part of being a salesman is learning to sell what you have, not what you wish you had or what your customers wished you had. This was one of Steve's great strengths, he very much sold the product he had.

Look back to the days of the G5 Mac, Steve sold that as the most powerful computer available when it was pretty clear it wasn't. People lapped that up without question too. Weak minds are easy to manipulate and as such could be seen as a personal defect. One thing I've learned over the years is that Salesman can be nice people but you don't take what they are offering at face value. Always look deeper before signing on the dotted line or in this case referencing a comment made during a sales push.

Haha, get new glasses. I noticed that in 2007 and always loved the elegance of the iOS Mail icon. The clouds mean it's Mail but the wireless non-snail mail kind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolipsismX

Sure it does. Email is cloud computing. It's mail that gets stored and circulated via the internet. In fact, it's such a longstanding staple of cloud computing that we don't easily think of that way because the term "cloud computing" has evolved after it.

You two are both very enlightening- thanks for the education.

2nd question for you both- why is OSX Mail a stamp? Please try answering where it doesn't contradict your first answer. As Apu would say- "Thank you, come again" ;-)

To bad you couldn't come up with an argument that was rational with respect to this issue. I really don't know why there are so many on this forum that are so set against companies making a few dollars, but frankly it is pathetic and far more damaging than anything I've said. Think about it folks, this forum wouldn't even exist if there wasn't somebody somewhere making a buck or two.

All right, here goes. I've never thought Apple makes too much money, because I can see that they are on a campaign to do something good with their profits. Namely they are out to change the way manufacturing and design in technology is done, by putting the experience of the user first, all else, including profits, second.

Actually, the best user experience is the same as profit, because the results and the means to the results are in harmony. When you please more people you make more money. This is new in business history, on this scale at the consumer-technology level anyway. Business to business, there have been precedents, like NCR and IBM.

So I hope Apple takes over more and more of the information-technology macro ecosystem. It has been tremendously liberating for the world that has been chained to Microsoft and the hardware of mediocrity that existed before the iMac, iPod and iPhone.

And that's why one likes to see them competing in the smaller tablet space. Quality design of software and hardware, and Apple's pushing the envelope in difficult manufacturing and use of materials should prevail in the whole tablet category, if there's any justice in the busines world.

And they're going to need many of those billions they've accumulated to keep pushing chip and display manufacturing. We've seen plenty of evidence that they need to do more. A non-retina display on the mini iPad is an example.

What is it about people on this forum that don't recognize marketing and salesmanship when they see it? Really is your mind that weak that it takes everything in without question? Part of being a salesman is learning to sell what you have, not what you wish you had or what your customers wished you had. This was one of Steve's great strengths, he very much sold the product he had.
Look back to the days of the G5 Mac, Steve sold that as the most powerful computer available when it was pretty clear it wasn't. People lapped that up without question too. Weak minds are easy to manipulate and as such could be seen as a personal defect. One thing I've learned over the years is that Salesman can be nice people but you don't take what they are offering at face value. Always look deeper before signing on the dotted line or in this case referencing a comment made during a sales push.

So are you implying that when Steve said over all those years "it just works", it actually just didn't ?
Sounds like it.

Haha, get new glasses. I noticed that in 2007 and always loved the elegance of the iOS Mail icon. The clouds mean it's Mail but the wireless non-snail mail kind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolipsismX

Sure it does. Email is cloud computing. It's mail that gets stored and circulated via the internet. In fact, it's such a longstanding staple of cloud computing that we don't easily think of that way because the term "cloud computing" has evolved after it.

You two are both very enlightening- thanks for the education.

2nd question for you both- why is OSX Mail a stamp? Please try answering where it doesn't contradict your first answer. As Apu would say- "Thank you, come again" ;-)